I had a beautiful baby boy 2 months ago and am currently Breastfeeding. My son still eats on demand and is not on a schedule yet. My blood sugars are totally unpredictable, could be from Breastfeeding or lack if sleep, and I am basically playing catchup all the time. I wear a pump and cgm so that helps, but still my sugars are not where I want them to be. For those that have gone through this, when did your blood sugars settle into some type of routine? Any tips? I worry about going too low while caring for my baby when home alone so that is also an issue. Thanks in advance.
Hey chica,
Congrats on the baby boy! I had my son back in February and I know exactly what you are talking about. I was all over the map for a while. then I chose the schedule feed (totally not for everyone, no judgement or hard feelings against those who choose otherwise). Between that and eating the same meal at the same time everyday I was able to adjust my basal rates on my pump accordingly and then work on my bolus ratios. It's not easy, but totally worth it! I put him on a 2.5 hr schedule at 3 months and then works towards at 3 hr schedule by 4 months. I found it worked better for both of us if I started with a length that he was already capable of (it also helps them sleep longer!). Now at 9 months I have to force him to nurse since he is in love with solids. But we sit down at try at least every 3.5 hours.
As for going low when no one else is home, again, I totally understand. I was/ am like a squirrel. I have food and juice stashed everywhere! My first response to any "I feel funny" moments is to down the juice box closest to me, which is always less then 3 ft away. They are everywhere.
I am incredibly proud of the fact that I exclusively breastfed until 6.5 months with no major issues and that we still nurse at least 7x per day at 9 months. It can be done! It's really crazy those first few months, and with all the growth spurts it really didn't settle down for us until 4 months. My kid is also a terrible sleeper though, so it may be sooner for you.
As for getting a schedule and help with sleep (these went hand in hand for me) I suggest babysleepsite.com Nicole is amazing!
For the first couple of months I'd keep a glass or 7up or juice at my side when I breastfed. Lactating drops blood sugar so fast.
As a parent you have to use the same rule the airlines teach you in case of emergency... help yourself first, so you can help your child. That means taking time to test if you feel weird, even if the baby is crying. And if you're on the low side then take a minute to grab a quick snack.
In the first few months I also set a higher target blood sugar of 120 - 150 so I had a little cushion. Test more or pay attention to your CGM since the sleep deprivation makes you out of touch with your body.
My blood sugars didn't normalize until I returned to work at 3 months. It helped my baby and I get on a good sleep and eating schedule.
Know that this is the very hardest time in parenting... the exhaustion and crazy schedule lessens once you get past the first few months.
My baby was born with low blood sugar, they gave him sugar with water through a nasal feeding tube to raise his blood sugar levels, this worked and it hasn’t been a problem since. Also it had no effect on his feeding habits.